Knitting machine



Jan. 18, 1927".

G. DENNIS KNITTING MACHVINE 7 Filed June 16. 1926 4e INVI:IgTOR 07?? 8727225 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,615,167 PATENT OFFICE.

assess beams, on etacxsronn, mnssaorrvsnrrs, ASSIGNOR or onaHALr TO ALBERT lvrnssrna, or BLAcKsronE, massacnnsnrrs.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed June 16, 1926.

This invention relates to an improved knitting machine of the spring needle type, and pertains more particularly tothe assembly of operating mechanism whereby the machine may be changed over from one class of material to another with a minimum expenditure of time and labor.

Heretofore, in machines of this character,

- the various sets of feeds have been separately feeds are all carried by the feed plate, and i are consequently held in proper position relative the needle cylinder at all times. Moreover, the dial plate, needle cylinder and feed plate are capable of being removed from or replaced in position upon the machine as a unit, and when this assembly, the parts of which have previously been used, are replaced upon the machine, practically no adjustment is necessary before commencing the knitting operation.

The principal object of my invention is to provide-an assemblage of elements of the kind described above wherein the various feeds are carried by a removable feed plateand continually held in adjusted position relative to the needle cylinder and dial plate, the parts being so constructed that the dial plate, needle cylinder and feed plate are all removable from or replaceable uponthe machine as a unit, thus greatly facilitating the changing of the machine from one form of work to another.

Other objects and advantages of the invention relate to various improved methods of operation and detailed arrangement of the various elements as will be more fully pointed. out in the detailed description to follow.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my improved construction, illustrating the relative position of the dial plate, needle cylinder and Serial No. 116,281).

feed plate, and showing the position of the feeds, as carried by the feed plate, with reference to the needles.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the operating mechanism, partially in section, illustrating a portion of the drive mechanism for operating the machine.

In the drawings, 1 designates the table or bed of the knitting machine, upon which is mounted a drive shaft 2 carried by brackets 3, and provided with a bevel gear 1, which meshes with a bevel gear 5 secured to a vertical sleeve 6 by a pin or spline 7 whereby the sleeve may be driven from the shaft 2. A stationary vertical post 9 is supported by a depressed portion 10 of the table, and is secured to the table 1 and held in upright position and against rotation by bolt or bolts 11. The sleeve 6 is rotatably mounted upon the post 9.and is driven by the gears 1 and 5 from the drive shaft 2. A spur gear 14 is secured to the sleeve 6 by a pin or spline 15 and drives the take up mechanism (not shown) through a conventional drive mechanism. As shown the sleeve 6 is mounted upon the vertical post 9 and carries the needle cylinder 16 which is either formed integral with the sleeve 6 as shown, or secured thereto in a suitable manner.

A dial plate 17 overlies the needle cylinder 1'0" and is secured to the vertical post 9 by a set-screw 18 or by any other suitable means, and a feed plate 19 underlies the needle cylinder 16 and extends over a part of the main horizontal portion of the bed to which it is secured by a plurality of bolts or screws 20. The feed plate is provided with a central portion 21 surrounding the sleeve 6 and which may be secured thereto by a setscrew 22 or held out of clamping engagement therewith depending upon the position of the set-screw 22, whereby the feed plate may be'secured to the sleeve 6 for removal therewith without changing the position of any of the feeds relative to the needle cylinder. The feed plate is provided with a plurality of posts 24 arranged ingro-ups for supporting the feeds which are secured therein by suitable means such as set-screws 25. The feeds of each group comprise a push back 26 for forcing the cloth downwardly on the needles, a clearing wheel 27, a loop wheel 28 and a yarn guide 29 carried by or supported adjacent to the loop wheel, and a presser 30 for pressing the yarn from the l needle. These feeds are arranged in groups as shown and as they are of conventional construction and operation will not be described in detail. The dial plate is provided with adjustable bearings 31 for supporting landing wheels 32 and finishing wheels 33, which like the feeds are arranged in groups corresponding to the number of groups of feeds employed. Like the feeds these elements are of the usual construction and will not be described in detail.

The needle cylinder 16 is provided about its periphery with a plurality of spring needles 35 of the usual form which are secured in position upon the edge of the cylinder in the usual manner, .such as, by means of holding plates 36.

The dial plate 17 and needle cylinder 16 are provided with registering threaded openings 38 in which may be threaded a key 39 for locking these parts together before their removal from the post 9 whereby the dial plate and needle cylinder are held in proper angular position relative to each other after their removal from the post 9 to insure that these parts will be held in position to permit their application to the machine at any time when it is desired to proceed with the work carried by that particular mechanism.

In the operation of my improved mechanism, the needle cylinder 16 is rotated by means of the sleeve 6 from the shaft 2 through gears 1 and 5, while the feed plate and dial plate remain stationary, being secured to the table 1 and post 9 as previously described. As the needle cylinder rotates the cloth (which is held by a take-up mechanism located above the table and which is not shown in the drawings) is pressed down- \vardly and upwardly on the needles by each set of feeds whereby a further series of stitches is formed as the needle cylinder passes each set of feeds in its rotation in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 1.

then it is desired to change the machine from one class of work to another it is only necessary to turn the needle cylinder to bring the threaded opening 38 therein into re 'istry with the similar opening in the dial plate, insert the key 39 in those openings, remove the screws 20 which hold the feed plate to the table, and remove the set-screw 18, when the dial plate 17, needle cylinder 16 and feed plate 19 may be removed from the post 9 as a unit and a dial plate, needle cylinder and feed plate carrying the work which it is desired to substitute may then be placed on the post and the feed plate secured to the table by screws 20, whereupon the key 39 for locking that dial plate to its needle cylinder is removed and the dial plate secured to the post by a set-screw 18 when the substituted work is ready to proceed.

Set-screw 22 is tightened before removing the mechanism to lock the feed plate and the several feeds in proper position relative to the needle cylinder, and this set-screw is loosened when the assembly is placed on the machine to permit free rotation of the sleeve 6 and needle cylinder carried thereby relative to the feed plate in the operation of the mechanism. lhe unit removed may include the gears 5 and 141- keyed to the sleeve 6, or if desired, these gears may be secured to the sleeve 6 by splines to permit removal and replacement of the sleeve without removing the gears.

Thus it will be seen that by means of my improved mechanism the knitting machine assembly comprising dial plate, needle cylinder and feed plate may be removed and replaced as a unit, and these parts positively locked together while away from the machine with all of their parts occupying the same position relative to each other that they occupied while on the machine. In this way the great amount of time and labor necessary in setting up and adjusting the machine for new work is dispensed with, as the parts removed can be replaced at any time and the work continued without any undue waste of time in positioning the parts on the table or in adjusting the same relative to each other.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. In a knitting machine, the combination with a table of a vertical post, a sleeve mounted on said post and rotatable relative thereto, a needle cylinder rotatable with said sleeve, a dial plate secured to said post, and a feed plate carried by said table and supporting the several feeds in position relative to the needle cylinder whereby said dial plate, needle cylinder and feed plate are removable from and replaceable upon said vertical post as a unit.

2. In a knitting machine, the combination with a table, of a vertically positioned rotat able member, a needle cylinder rotatable with said member, a feed plate underlying said needle cylinder and fixed with respect to the table, feeds carried by said feed plate and arranged in operative position relative to said needle cylinder, and a stationary dial. plate overlying said needle cylinder, and means whereby the feed plate, needle cylinder and dial plate may be removed from the table or replaced thereon in operative relation to said rotatable member without varying the position of the operating mechanisms carried by the said members.

3. In a knitting machine, the combination with a rotatable member, of a needle cylinder, a dial plate, and a single feed plate for supporting the several feeds, and means for locking said dial plate, needle cylinder and feed plate together for retaining the several elements in proper adjusted position relative to each other whereby said elements may be removed from the machine or replaced thereon as a unit.

it ll 4. In a knitting machine, the combination of a table, a needle cylinder rotatably mounted upon said table, means for driving said needle cylinder, a stationary dial plate, a non-rotatable feed plate underlying said needle cylinder and supporting a plurality of feeds in operative position relative to said needle cylinder, said needle cylinder, dial plate and feed plate being removable from engagement with said driving means and replaceable into operative engagement therewith as a unit.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

GEORGE DENNIS. 

